Dried Acorn Jelly

Despite being a rich source of starch and proteins, acorns contain large amounts of tannins and other polyphenols, which prevent the human body from digesting them properly. Harvested acorns must be properly leached of the tannins prior to consumption.

Acorns are either collected directly from the ground or knocked off the trees branches. The acorns are opened and their innards ground into a fine orange-brown paste. The paste is then stirred into vats of water and the acorns' fiber is separated from the starch through sieving and settling. The starch-water mixture is collected and allowed to sit so that the tannins in the starch diffuse into the water, which are changed several times. The overall soaking time depends on the amount of tannins in the paste.